Hon Tariana Turia

Minister of Disability Issues

Friday 22 October 2010; 12.00pm Speech

Whanganui Region Disability Strategy- Mana Tangata Haua o Whanganui

‘The authority of disabled people of Whanganui’
Wakefield Conference Room, Community House, Whanganui

E rere kau mai te awa nui, mai te kahui maunga ki Tangaroa;
Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.

I have to say when I looked upon the cover of this disability strategy, I felt a resounding rush of euphoria, as I saw the depth of our awa, the majesty of our maunga, Koro Ruapehu, and the beauty of a clear, blue sky.

It was a picture that convinced me that everything is right in our world.

And then I read the words, Mana Tangata Haua o Whanganui – the authority of disabled people of Whanganui – and I knew my initial feeling was right.

Because this document is a framework for change; a resource which promotes the transformation from a disabling society to a community in which disabled people, their whanau and families, are supported to live the very best life they can.

I am so pleased to be here today, to come home, and to celebrate with the peoples of the Whanganui, Rangitikei and Ruapehu districts who have comprised the Whanganui Region Disability Strategy Reference Group.

You have already achieved the distinctive success of raising awareness about the aspirations and the authority of disabled peoples in the Whanganui Region.

You entered into this project with the aim of seeking full participation of disabled people in the life of our communities. Your intentions were ambitious- but noble – in wanting to change how society views people living with a disability.

I want to particularly acknowledge the leadership of Les Gilsenan who has made an outstanding contribution towards driving, full steam ahead, the production of a disability strategy for Whanganui.

Les has been supported closely by Dr Sue Watson, who in her role as Project Director, has been responsible for facilitating a thorough consultation process.

And working alongside these two champions has been a talented cast of hundreds – District Councillors, families, service providers, the DHB, Work and Income, Budgeting Advice, kuia and kaumatua from Ohakune, Senior citizens of Otaihape, rural education, Born and Raised Pasifika here in Whanganui, and over forty agencies.

And while I said hundreds were involved – perhaps I should have said thousands – literally twelve thousand disabled people throughout our region – and the whanau and family to which they belong.

This strategy is an impressive attempt at being inclusive – at modelling the desire to include disabled persons in every aspect of our community. Indeed, in the process of developing this strategy, you have established a precedent that other communities can learn from.

But it is not just in linking the people of Whanganui that this strategy is so effective. It is also in making the links explicit between the New Zealand Disability Strategy and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. And most important of all, in my mind, is that it provides guidance about how to ensure the voices of disabled persons are heard.

I am so pleased to share with you, the developments that were provided for in Budget 2010 which essentially ensure disabled persons organisations were supported to promote, protect and monitor the rights of people with disabilities.

Just this week I announced the progress made in appointing positions in the Human Rights Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman to bring independence to the monitoring role.

In the foreword to this Whanganui Strategy, there is a very important reference to the need for society to design systems that make room for all its citizens, not just the majority. And it makes a statement which I think is critical for all of us to understand:

“Society disables people with impairments by excluding them from participation or independence because service design, communication channels, buildings and attitudes make aspects of society inaccessible to them”.

In my life at Parliament – and in my role as Minister for Disability Issues – I have the privilege of chairing the ministerial committee for disability issues. It is a real priority to me that we hear from disabled peoples about what they want, and learn from them how government can join up its efforts to not only deliver its services better, but also to give the community an opportunity to self-determine what those services might look like.

At last week’s meeting we had a very useful discussion about the concept of Access Tourism – that is tourism which enables all people to access accommodation, travel, information, events without any structural impediments to doing so.

The Rugby World Cup provides us with an opportune time to look at how we can make our country a leader in accessible tourism.

It is so wonderful to look at your strategy for Whanganui and to see at least three of the goals are about ensuring accommodation options, recreational and cultural activities, and information about disabled peoples is accessible and widely used throughout the region.

I have had a bit of a browse around the Horizons Regional Council website, and there’s some good information there on transport options for disabled people.

It might be an interesting process to go through, to have an audit on the online facility, the signage, the venues, pathways, toilets, transport options and so on. Ask yourself the question: what can Whanganui offer that will make a trip a pleasure rather than a burden?

Another key priority for me as Minister, is the emphasis we give to supported living; to local co-ordination and individualised funding. Over 453 people are accessing individualised funding this year, which means that there are 453 people who are able to better manage the supports they received.

Finally, I return to your concept of mana tangata haua o Whanganui : the authority of disabled people of Whanganui.

In the Budget this year I was able to secure three million dollars over the next three years to improve the lives of disabled persons by changing attitudes and behaviours in society. The social change campaign is something I am really proud of – it’s motivated by the desire to actively encourage the participation of disabled peoples in every day activities – enjoying an ordinary life.

And most of all, it is driven by the sense of self-belief of disabled persons and their families – it is about the aspirations of disabled people to be self-managing, to be resilient, to be versatile, to know that their whakapapa is their greatest source of strength.

And it’s about all of us, working together to make the changes we need to make, to truly ensure the authority of disabled persons is upheld.

Finally, I return to the vision of your cover, and the authority of te kahui maunga, as I recall the words of one of our tupuna, Rangi Mete-Kingi

Ko te pae tawhiti; whaia kia tata; ko te pae tata; whakamaua kia tina.

Seek out distance horizons and cherish those you attain.

Let this Strategy stand as a wonderful testimony to those words – to uplift our sight to the vision which will shape our future.

Tena tatou katoa.

ENDS

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